CLAS Featured in the News

Agency's Program Results in Award

Richmond Times-Dispatch
January 24, 2008

The Richmond Times-Dispatch featured an article regarding the CLAS Act Initiative's 2007 Vision Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. The award honors outstanding and creative state public health department initiatives.

(RICHMOND, VA) – The Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Health Care Services Initiative, referred to as CLAS Act, has won a 2007 Vision Award as an outstanding and creative state health program from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Read the full story.

When non-English speaking patients show up, many health-care providers rely on telephone-based interpretation services. They also use Spanish-speaking volunteers and other staff to help translate, but have to make sure they are in compliance with federal patient-privacy laws.

The Virginia Department of Health recently launched a Web site that translates some common medical phrases into Spanish, with plans to expand to more languages. Read the full story.